Malachi 3
Malachi 3:1
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
The Promise of the Governor’s Return:
The principal purpose of the redemptive program of the Creator-King, in his dealings with humanity throughout human history, was the restoration of the Governor to the colony of earth.
The King of the eternal and invisible kingdom desired to extend his own nature and influence to the physical realm of earth, which he had created. The kingdom of heaven is his governing influence over the world, impacting and influencing it with his will, his purpose, and his intent. Heaven is God’s kingdom or home country, and earth is his colony.
√ Human beings were created in the image of the King and were given the Spirit of the King to live within them. The King’s Spirit gave life to their spirits, souls, and bodies.
√ Human beings were designed to function like their Creator-King. The presence of the Spirit of the King within human beings guaranteed that they would have his character and nature. It also assured that they would be able to rule on earth as he would rule in the heavenly kingdom, having his very nature of love, mercy, kindness, and forgiveness.
√ The King did not desire to rule the earth directly, but to cultivate his colony through his children, who also functioned as his local governors. They were to exercise dominion over the earth under the direction of the chief Governor, the Spirit of the King.
√ Adam and Eve’s declaration of independence cut humanity off from the King and caused the Governor to be recalled by the kingdom of heaven.
√ The departure of the Governor meant the departure of the heavenly government and its direct influence over the colony of earth.
√ After humanity rebelled against the authority of the heav-enly government, the King immediately promised to restore the Governor to his children.
√ The most important promise the Creator-King ever made to human beings was the promise that the Governor would return to live within them, because he is the key to life.
√ The restoration of the King’s Spirit to humanity is central to the restoration of his kingdom on earth All the above leads us to this conclusion:
The Theme and Significance of the Scriptures
What is the significance of the Scriptures? Why do we have the accounts of Noah, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the story of the nation of Israel? What was the purpose of all the blood sacrifices? Why is there a record of priests, prophets, and the lineage of kings?
The theme of the Old Testament is the restoration of the key to humanity’s existence. All the situations, people, and programs we read about serve these ends:
1. They are a continual reminder of the promise of the Governor’s restoration.
2. They depict the King’s intervention in the lives of specific families on earth to preserve a lineage for the Offspring who would restore the Governor.
2. They depict a prototype of the restoration of the kingdom of heaven on earth.
3. They expose the fact that only the Governor himself can reconnect the earthly colony to its heavenly government.
4. They foretell the coming of the Offspring who will personally reconcile the children-citizens to the King and authorize the return of the Governor.
Humanity’s Need for Holiness:
The Old Testament emphasizes the fact that when Adam and Eve lost the Holy Spirit, humanity became unholy. Holiness is associated with integrity. It means “to be one with yourself.”
Stages of the King’s Plan:
The King’s plan to fully restore the Governor unfolded in stages:
1. He implemented a program that allowed the Governor to come upon people, although not within them, so as not to violate his integrity. His Spirit could come upon any person who chose to submit to the influence of the heavenly government.
Since the Governor had been recalled and was therefore “illegal” on earth, he would come and rule in someone’s life when that person yielded to his prompting and direction. This wasn’t the same influence over the entire world that was in place before the rebellion; it was what we might call “selective rulership” or “rulership by submission.”
2. The sacrificial system, which the Hebrew people practiced, and which we will talk more about shortly, allowed the Governor to work on earth through a special nation of people who were meant to be a prototype of the return of the kingdom to the whole world.
3. The King himself would come to earth to restore integrity to humanity, and thus provide a way for the Governor to again live within human beings on a permanent basis.
Understanding the Creator-King’s program to restore humanity puts the entire Old Testament in the proper light. It is not a group of stories strung together or a handbook of rituals. It is about the King initiating his restoration program.
Influence over Earth’s Environment:
The Governor’s presence on earth through the submission of individuals to the heavenly government was always accompanied by the manifestation of kingdom influence over the earth’s environment.
The Israelites: A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation.
I want to reemphasize that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the Israelite nation were not preserved in order to create a religion. The nation of Israel was an instrument in the hand of the King’s unfolding purposes to reconcile the whole world to himself and to restore the Governor—it was not an end in itself. The Israelites were called and set apart as a special nation so they could rediscover the King and his ways for the purpose of becoming a nation with a holy (dedicated) purpose. As we will shortly see, they were to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” to help fulfill the King’s plan of restoration for the world. Sadly, the nation of Israel didn’t initially live up to its high purpose.
The people rejected the laws of the King, just as Adam and Eve had. They were no longer in alignment with him. Consequently, they failed to be an example to other nations of the kingdom of heaven on earth. Although there were times when the people returned to their King, they rejected him over and over again throughout their history as a nation.
The Meaning of the Law:
When the Israelite people first came out of Egyptian slavery, they had forgotten much about the King and his ways. The Creator-King gave the law so the people would know how to live according to his nature.
The Kings:
Because the Israelites wanted to be just like the other nations around them, having the same standards and lifestyle, they had asked for their own earthly king. The King had told them, in effect, “No, you really don’t want an earthly king. A king will just oppress you with taxation and forced labor. I am your King, who provides everything for you and gives you what is good.” He was trying to tell them, “You are not like other nations. You are supposed to be an example to them. You’re supposed to be the prototype for my kingdom.” Human kings were not the Creator-King’s ultimate plan: He wanted a nation of kingdom rulers.
Governmental Messages about the Coming King Who Would Restore the Governor:
The entire Old Testament is therefore about the repetition of the promise of the Governor’s return, and the evidence of heavenly kingdom influence selectively manifested through the prototype nation and individuals who were submitted to the kingdom.
Over the centuries, specific prophets, as well as other leaders such as Moses and David, spoke messages from the King announcing that he himself would reestablish his kingdom in the colony of earth, paving the way for the restoration of the Governor to humanity. For example, the prophet Isaiah said,
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The Mandate of the Coming King
The last book of the Old Testament ends with the prophet Malachi giving this message from the heavenly government about the coming King of heaven: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.”
This was the mandate of the Offspring, whom the prophets referred to as the “Messiah,” to reconcile the children of Adam and Eve to their Creator-King. When this was accomplished, the Governor could be restored to his earthly residence within them.
So the original plan to restore Kingdom Authority here on Earth as it is in heaven. Is revealed to us in the scriptures. The Most High’s plans for a nation of Kings and Priests restored.
Shema Selah, restoration to His original intent and plan for the Earth and His chosen nation, Israel!
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